Three incumbents on the Lucia Mar Unified School District board face off against three newcomers who share the same goal: to remake and rebuild the board.
New Times spoke with the incumbents Don Stewart, Dee Santos, and Vicki Meagher but was unable to speak with the other candidates. Paul Bischoff declined New Times’ request for an interview while Paul Hively and Mike Fuller didn’t respond to their respective requests.
Trustee Area 1
Stewart has spent that last 14 years in the education sector and is currently a full-time faculty member at Allan Hancock College teaching art education while serving as a Lucia Mar board member.
Stewart said he’s accomplished a lot during his tenure, especially these past four years, as the district’s emphasized student wellness and safety, work he wants to continue.
“That’s our top priority, so when it comes to wellness, we’re being able to expand counseling services in all the grades and to the younger ones as well,” he said. “We’re trying to reinforce a sense of belonging and just sort of meet our students where they are, and that’s been great.”
With a high cost of living on the Central Coast, Stewart said if he gets reelected, he wants to work on a way to keep younger professionals in the district.
“I’d be really interested in sort of starting the conversation with some surplus land, about possibly building or connecting with builders for workforce housing that might allow us, our early career professionals, to afford living here and start families here,” he said.
Stewart’s running against Bischoff, a California native who wants to focus on bringing the school board back to the basics and increasing academic performance.
“Despite our technologically advanced state, our society is really arrogant in its thinking,” his website states. “Time-tested educational strategies have given way to new methods and promises of increased performance, but the promised increase in academic achievement has not materialized. … I’ll work to cast aside over-promising and under-delivering methods and implement what has worked and served us well for decades.”
Bischoff also promises to bring parental rights back to the district and reduce its “spending problem” by lowering costs on things such as fees paid to contractors and third-party suppliers.
“Our education leaders have lost their way on this subject,” his website states. “From my view, many members of the current board see parents as a nuisance to be tolerated rather than a respected partner to be esteemed. It’s no wonder parents are frustrated and don’t feel heard. I’ll work to change the attitude and philosophy of the board, so parents’ input drives the decision-making.”
Trustee Area 2
A previous Grover Beach mayor and a current advocate for trade schools, Santos is running for reelection after spearheading the district’s new career pathway programs.
“So many kids and their parents can’t afford to send them to college, nor can they afford to work their way through,” she said. “I keep telling them, you go to one of these trade schools, get a profession, and you can always further on your education and get your own business, not just work for them.”
After watching high schools in Shandon and Paso Robles offer trade classes, Santos said she knew Lucia Mar needed to catch up and offer the same.
In the past year the district has built new cosmetology and culinary centers, and Santos said she’s proud of the district for introducing important life skills for the students.
“If you don’t use it in school, you can always use it at home,” she said.
The 3,500-square-foot culinary facility at Arroyo Grande High School has 12 student stations equipped with ovens and prep tables. The $4.8 million facility has three fridges and one freezer, two ovens and warming cabinets, char broilers, and an outdoor eating area with shade sails.
Lucia Mar won a $1.7 million state grant for the project and paid the remaining cost out-of-pocket.
Santos is facing Hively, who believes that the district needs to respect the rights of parents, be held financially accountable, and conduct classs without personal or political agendas, according to his website.
Hively promises to return the district to academic excellence, have a bigger focus on parental rights, and vote no on Measure H-24āa $143 million bond that would pay to upgrade, repair, and expand school facilities and infrastructure.
“In 2016, voters approved a $170 million bond, which we are still paying off,” his website states. “Now, amid unprecedented inflation (affecting housing, food, and fuel costs), the district is seeking additional funds. Working families are already battling these rising expenses, and the proposal of another $143 million bond seems out of touch with our current economic reality.”
Trustee Area 4
Meagher, who retired from teaching in 2010 after 38 years in the field, has been on the board since 2012 and prides herself on being pro-teacher and pro-student.
Like Santos and Stewart, Meagher is proud of the work the school board has accomplished with new career pathways for students.
“I’m really proud of that, and I want to continue working on that,” she said. “We’ve also expanded the dual enrollment with Cuesta College so students can get credit there, as well as their placement testing. We have 95 sections of dual enrollment, and if they plan it right, a few kids have graduated with their AA degree when they graduated from high school.”
School safety is important to Meagher, and she said in the past few years the district has really upgraded safety on its campuses with central locations to enter and exit and fenced-off campuses.
“There’s a check-in system in place to identify people that are coming onto campus, we have cameras and more lighting just to maintain a safe environment,” she said. “We also have security people in place at our high schools.”
Meagher said since she’s been on the board, everybody works together as a team, and, if reelected, she wants to continue that spirit.
“We support each other, support our staff, support our kids, support our parents,” she said.
Meagher is running against Fuller, a former Arroyo Grande City Council member whose goal is to foster greater family participation in the educational process, as well as supporting teachers.
Similar to the other first-time candidates, Fuller said he’s dedicated to improving Lucia Mar’s educational standards and addressing pandemic-related learning loss.
“Our focus should be on academic achievement, not political agendas,” his website states. “As enrollment in private schools and homeschooling increases, we must enhance the quality of our public education.” Ī
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 10, 2024.
Paul Bischoff, Paul Hively, and Mike Fuller claim entitlement to be elected without being available for interviews by the press.
Obviously, they want to hide an agenda that is hurtful to our students, horrific for our schools, and harmful to our community.
None of them has demonstrated the qualifications of a school board trustee.
None of them appear to have the character to respect the achievements of our schools and our students.
The schools in the Lucia Mar School District have excelled through tough challenges due to the competence and dedication of the current board trustees.
Being on a school board these days comes with a set of unprecedented challenges. To have served during some of the most contentious times and to do it with the principles of integrity and collaboration as their guide should garner the respect and gratitude of our whole community. Mr. Stewart, Ms. Santos and Ms. Meagher-thank you for your willingness to keep putting our kids first!
Dee Santos, Don Stewart, and Vicki Meagher have my support for re-election to the school board. They come with the knowledge and experience to manage all aspects of Lucia Mar School District, in addition to being our neighbors and friends.
Mr. Bischoff, Mr. Fuller, and Mr. Hively seem to be single issue candidates, who are pushing to “sanitize ” the school district. Banning school library books and parental rights are their favorite topics for discussion.
Public participation is essential and important for good governance by the school board, however parental rights and opinions should not be the single driver of board decisions, as proposed by Mr. Bischoff in his comments.
Mr. Bischoff sends his children to private school, however, if he is elected, he will be making decisions that affect everyone else’s children. Feels like a power grab to me with a tinge of arrogance.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes Paul Bischoff, Paul Hively, and Mike Fuller to take down their oversized yard signs.
The election is over.
Be a good example for our students.
Accept the results.
Follow the rules.
Our students can continue to enjoy school and continue to achieve excellence.